Chapter 40

The rock crevices below the stone cliff looked like cracks in the mountain, extending deep into its core.

In fact, the native girl did not walk too far inside, only about twenty meters before reaching the end.

Looking up from here, the sky had become a narrow strip.

The rock walls on both sides showed mottled traces, and at the end of the crevice, a dozen native hunters were sitting, looking very tired. When they saw the native girl leading He Boqiang and his group inside, all the native hunters became very alert. They picked up their weapons but did not point them at the warriors of the second squad. Instead, they stared coldly at He Boqiang and his group with hostile eyes.

The strongest of the native hunters immediately shouted at the native girl in a loud voice.

The native girl stood beside the stone wall, head down, and said nothing, like a child who had done something wrong.

At this moment, a rough native language sounded from the crowd, and all the native hunters turned their eyes to the person speaking.

"Which heavy infantry regiment are you from?" someone asked in perfect Green Empire language.

He Boqiang followed the gaze and saw an imperial soldier among the native hunters. He was wearing a high-quality leather armor with intricate patterns, and a very conspicuous long sword hung from his waist. Judging from the seven gems embedded in the hilt, this sword was definitely not an ordinary one. He also wore a silver badge on his chest, which He Boqiang could not understand, but it seemed similar to the intricate badge that Baron Sydney had.

Sulidak stepped forward from the warriors and saluted the imperial swordsman, answering respectfully, "I am Sulidak, the captain of the second squad of the sixth company of the fourth battalion of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment under Duke Newman. These are all the warriors of our squad."

The swordsman, upon hearing Sulidak's rank and name, also stepped forward, standing straight and said solemnly, "I am Bajiale Jilugude, the captain of the 11th squad of the 7th Constructed Swordsman Regiment of the Ausolno Army!"

Relieved to hear him report his name accurately and see that he was in good spirits and not injured, Sulidak said to the constructed swordsman, "Our squad's mission is to enter the Gandauer Mountains to find you. After learning about your situation, I have already sent my men to inform Baron Sydney. I estimate it won't be long before our reinforcements arrive."

Bajiale nodded, turned around, and spoke a series of incomprehensible native words to the native hunters.

The native hunters finally relaxed, sitting on the rocky ground inside the crevice. They were injured but seemed to trust Bajiale very much.

Bajiale smiled at us and said casually, "I told them that you also came to fight against the demons..."

Upon hearing this, Sulidak's face changed slightly, and he interrupted Bajiale before he could continue, saying:

"Demons... um! Sir Bajiale, our orders are to assist you in safely leaving the Gandauer Mountains."

Bajiale stood in front of Sulidak, his eyes sharp, and stared at Sulidak's eyes, saying:

"That's right. Since we are leaving the Gandauer Mountains, I need your help. If you help me destroy the Demon Gate in the valley, we can leave here."

His words carried an unyielding tone.

Sulidak swallowed hard, his face showing difficulty, and said:

"We... and you? But we are just heavy infantry, and we only have a small squad of warriors. I fear we cannot defeat any demon, and I worry that we will only be a burden in battle."

Indeed, as a marginalized heavy infantry regiment, the warriors of the second squad had no experience fighting demons.

Bajiale waved his hand at Sulidak and said, "Of course, it's not just you and me. We also have these native hunter friends!"

He pointed at the native hunters, a hint of pride in his eyes, indicating that he had gotten along well with them.

He Boqiang stood behind, thinking: I wonder if these native hunters were involved in the operation a month ago. If it was them, would Sulidak cut them down on the spot?

However, Sulidak did not seem to consider this and said to Bajiale:

"They... these natives are probably not as strong as us. What can they do in a battle against demons?"

The distrust of natives was not just a biased view of a few imperial soldiers; most imperial warriors believed that the natives of Handanar County were a completely uncivilized primitive tribe. Apart from setting traps in the forest, the native hunters had no combat ability.

Bajiale waved his hand impatiently and said to Sulidak, "I know that once I propose an alliance with the natives, it will certainly invite all kinds of doubts."

Sulidak lowered his eyes, standing in front of Bajiale, his thoughts simple: he just wanted to bring Bajiale back to the camp to complete the mission.

As for fighting demons, that was the job of the Constructed Knights.

As cannon fodder of the heavy infantry regiment, dying in this nameless valley would be meaningless.

Seeing that Sulidak was unmoved, Bajiale placed his hand on Sulidak's shoulder and said earnestly, "Before entering the Gandauer Mountains, I and the other imperial knights had the same thoughts and attitudes as you, once looking down on the natives of Handanar County."

"But when I saw these natives' love for their homeland and their bravery in protecting it from invasion, my views changed."

"They do not want the demons to continue occupying the homes they have worked hard to build. We must fight alongside the natives of Handanar County to stop the demons' invasion."

Bajiale's words were indeed very persuasive, and Sulidak's eyes clearly changed.

He Boqiang saw the burning fighting spirit in his eyes.

Bajiale raised his voice at the end, "I will report all this to Colonel Tangerlo when I return to the base."

He paused slightly and continued, "But the immediate task is to destroy this 'Demon Gate.' We cannot allow it to continue sending demons into the deep valleys of the Gandauer Mountains."

"Understood, Sir Bajiale."

Not only Sulidak, but all the warriors of the second squad echoed in unison.

He Boqiang stood among the warriors and sighed inwardly: After all, they are still young. If it were Captain Sam or the old veteran Ian, they would never agree to this...